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https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/sports/article/The-MVP-exits-Giannis-Greece-fail-to-advance-at-14424288.php
article14424288
SHENZHEN, China (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo now has a little more time to get ready for the NBA season.

That would be an unwanted consolation prize.

The reigning NBA MVP's stay at the World Cup is over, even after a victory in the team's finale. Greece needed to beat the Czechs by at least 12 points to have any chance of reaching the quarterfinals, and instead is heading home after an 84-77 win on Monday wasn't enough to push it to the next round.

"He's proud of his team. ... We gave everything we have," said Thanasis Antetokounmpo, the MVP's brother, along with his Greece and now Milwaukee Bucks teammate. "It's crazy — you win and you don't get to the next round."

Giannis Antetokounmpo fouled out with 5:32 left, called for charging on a play that left the Greek bench and fans howling in disbelief. Greece was up by 10 at the time, on the cusp of the margin it needed to advance.

Czech guard Tomas Satoransky of the Chicago Bulls knew it was a big call.

"We knew that he would go for the Eurostep or try to force it," Satoransky said. "In Europe, they'd probably call it. In the NBA, they wouldn't call it, obviously, because they protect stars."

Giannis Antetokounmpo did not make himself available to reporters for the second consecutive game. He also told FIBA officials that he was too upset to speak Saturday after Greece's 69-53 loss to the U.S.

Antetokounmpo is the first reigning NBA MVP to play in the World Cup or the world championships. Only three reigning MVPs have played in the Olympics — Michael Jordan in 1992, Kobe Bryant in 2008 and LeBron James in 2012, all for the U.S., and all going home with a gold medal.

"He came, he worked 100%, he tried 100% to get this game," Greece coach Thanasis Skourtopoulous said.

Greece, up by seven both times, had to take...

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Mon, 9 Sep 2019 11:54:25 UThttps://www.beaumontenterprise.com/sports/article/AP-Source-Rockets-Eric-Gordon-agree-on-14403895.php
article14403895
SHANGHAI (AP) — A person with knowledge of the situation says the Houston Rockets and veteran guard Eric Gordon have agreed on a contract extension that could keep him with the team for another five seasons in all.

Gordon and the Rockets agreed on a three-year extension, which begins with the 2020-21 season, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither side has publicly announced the agreement. There is an option for a fourth year to be added, which could push the total value of the new deal to just under $76 million.

The Houston Chronicle first reported the agreement and ESPN first reported certain terms including how the final year is not yet guaranteed unless Gordon is selected as an All-Star or the Rockets win a championship. Gordon will make $14 million this season and then average about $18 million in salary over the following three years.

Gordon has been remarkably consistent in his three seasons with the Rockets, averaging 16.8 points and shooting 36 percent from 3-point range in that span — and posting basically identical numbers from one year to the next.

His deal getting done means the Rockets have their backcourt — James Harden, newly acquired Russell Westbrook and Gordon — under contract through at least 2021-22 and likely for another year if Harden and Westbrook exercise their $47 million options for the 2022-23 season.

Gordon is entering his 12th NBA season and was the league's sixth man of the year for 2016-17. He started much of the last two seasons.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity Friday because the deal hasn't been completed for Howard to make an improbable return to the Lakers six years after his acrimonious departure.

The eight-time All-Star selection will be the ostensible replacement for center DeMarcus Cousins, who recently tore a knee ligament after signing with the Lakers as a free agent last month. Cousins could be sidelined for the entire upcoming season, and Howard will team with JaVale McGee and Anthony Davis to play the center spot for the Lakers.

Howard spent one infamous season with the Lakers, who acquired him from Orlando in August 2012 and teamed him with Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol in the hopes of building a championship-contending superteam.

Although Howard valiantly played through injuries, he also clashed with Bryant, coach Mike D'Antoni and others in the locker room before that misbegotten season ended with a first-round playoff sweep. Howard averaged 17.1 points and led the NBA with 12.4 rebounds during his sole season in LA.

Howard then left the Lakers as a free agent in July 2013, turning down a $118 million deal to join Houston for significantly less. He has been vociferously booed by Lakers fans — and Clippers fans, too — in every trip back to Staples Center since then.

Howard's departure coincided with the start of the worst six-year period in franchise history for the 16-time champion Lakers, who haven't been back to the postseason since he left. But Howard also hasn't thrived since shortly after he departed: He made the All-NBA second team for the Rockets, but struggled with injuries and...

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Fri, 23 Aug 2019 23:07:35 UThttps://www.beaumontenterprise.com/business/article/AP-sources-Tsai-buys-rest-of-Nets-Barclays-from-14323100.php
article14323100
NEW YORK (AP) — In a record sale for a U.S. sports franchise, the co-founder of Alibaba agreed to buy the remaining 51 percent of the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center for about $3.4 billion, two people with knowledge of the details said Friday.

Joe Tsai already had purchased 49 percent of the team from Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov in 2018, with the option to become controlling owner in 2021.

Instead, he pushed up that timeline for full ownership of a team on the rise after signing superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in July.

Terms were not disclosed, but those familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that Tsai is paying about $2.35 billion for the Nets and nearly $1 billion in a separate transaction for the arena. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreements are not complete.

The deal is expected to be completed by the end of September and is subject to approval by the NBA's Board of Governors.

It will surpass the $2.2 billion that Tilman Fertitta paid for the NBA's Houston Rockets, and that David Tepper spent for the NFL's Carolina Panthers.

Tsai is the executive vice chairman of the Alibaba Group, the Chinese e-commerce giant. He already had purchased the WNBA's New York Liberty.

Prokhorov became the NBA's first non-North American owner in 2010 and oversaw the Nets' move from New Jersey to Brooklyn two years later. He spent big in the first couple years after the move in a quest to chase a championship, but the team soon became one of the worst in the NBA before rallying to return to the playoffs last season.

He boasted of trying to win a championship within five years of his ownership, rapidly going through players and coaches in the first few years in Brooklyn. But he spent less time around the team in recent years while...